


Chance Encounter

by GoddessApostle



Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, First Meetings, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-22
Updated: 2020-09-22
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:02:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,078
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26592607
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GoddessApostle/pseuds/GoddessApostle
Summary: A moment of freedom, far from her pack - until she's stopped by a corpse.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 3





	Chance Encounter

**Author's Note:**

> just a little something i banged out bc i love Ayame and she deserved a proper fight (not that this is one lol)

She runs with her pack behind her, leading them through the dark. They can’t stop, not yet, not until the demons have ceased their pursuit. But the night wears on, and the wolves keep running, and there’s nothing she can do except offer up more bait — a sacrifice she herself would make if only her tribe would let her. But no, as the Northern Wolf Tribe’s leader, she was well beloved; her followers would never allow it.

She would rather it be her than any of them, though. Her duty as chief is to protect them, and running would only take them so far. Hiding would be better, with their dwindled numbers, but only after they've put significant distance between them and the mountains they once called home.

She skids to a stop. The cliff side to her right opens into a cave, and she gestures for her people to stay while she investigates, carrying a torch into its depths.

“Come on in,” she calls once she clears it. She counts heads as the others join her — but none are missing, so she sighs in relief. “We’ll rest here for tonight,” she tells them, though the night is already half gone. With luck they can rest for the next full day and take off again by this time tomorrow.

She issues orders to find food and water — two teams of three, no more no less — sent out to search for their supper. Three more are to guard the entrance to the cave, out of sight but on full alert. That doesn’t leave many inside, but they are children, for the most part. Young and wild wolves, not particularly bound to any one tribe, who have lost their families to the never ending stream of demons. She smiles down to them, reassuring their safety. Her grandfather lays near them, keeping them warm until they can get fires going with what little wood they have.

“Don’t go any farther than this,” she says, nodding to the cave behind them, darkness creeping from deep within. “I’m going out to gather more firewood.”

“Take someone with you,” her grandfather says, but she shakes her head.

“There’s no one left. The injured need rest, and the young ones…” _won’t survive a fight_ , she doesn’t say. And a fight is bound to happen tonight; she can feel the tension crawl across her back and settle in her chest. She plasters on a smile to hide her solemn mood. “I’ll be fine,” she tells them. “I need some fresh air, anyway.” She runs before they can protest.

And _oh,_ it has been so long since she was truly able to _run._ She slows her pace when running with her pack, but it’s so incredibly _tiring_ to limit herself to their speed. But now, without the burden of leadership wrapping her in weighted chains, she finally feels free. Her lips quirk up and open, her teeth baring in a ferocious smile. The wind blows back her hair, cold against her sweat-streaked skin and chilling to her burning bones. She can hear the creak of her muscles as legs stretch forward and feet hit the ground. Her body pushes itself, jumping from cliffs and leaping across rivers.

She’s miles away when she lets loose her howling laughter.

And immediately shuts herself up. Her run slows to a jog, to a walk, to a stop. She leaps for the trees, grabbing a branch to haul herself up. The leaves do little to hide her, but she doesn’t move to a better spot - it may bring attention to the walking corpse bathing below her.

He looks like a normal human, sure, but the scent of soil and rot cling to him - the same scent as Kyokotsu. He hums as he scrubs his chest, but the water does nothing to dull the stench of him. She spies his clothes and armor at the edge of the lake, guarded by the Saimyōshō. _How careless,_ she thinks to herself. His back is even to her.

She lifts her arm, leaves in hand, ready to strike.

“I’m in mourning,” the boy says. Ayame’s hand freezes above her shoulder. The boy turns to her, sadness leaking through his unguarded eyes. “I just lost one of my brothers. I don’t feel like fighting right now.”

“That brother wouldn’t happen to be Kyōkotsu, would it?” she asks, the words cold as steel.

“Yes, as a matter of fact, it is.”

“He’s the reason my people have been killed.” Her grip tightens on the leaves in her hand, drawing blood from their sharpened edges.

“Well, let me apologize on his behalf. It’s a shame to cause such a pretty girl this much sorrow.”

“Spare me your flattery!” she yells, throwing the leaves. They skip along the water before sinking.

“What?” Ayame breathes.

The boy appears before her, hand at her throat. Momentum carries them to the ground. Her breath is knocked from her lungs.

“I really didn’t want to do this,” he says. He leans against his hand, forcing her into the dirt.

Ayame slashes his throat. He leans back, hands abandoning her to press against the cut. She kicks him away and stands, holding her floral blade between them. 

“That’s a neat trick,” he rasps. His eyes study the knife, then her face. “Beauty _and_ brains. Neat. Why don’t you be my wife?”

There’s a moment there where time just stops. Leaves float around her, but she can’t move. The words echo through her head, again and again, but they just don’t process. _A marriage proposal? Mid-battle? He’s gone mad!_ She can feel her face heat up with every passing second, and it’s only then that she realizes he’s still naked. And he’s standing there, not bothered by– by any of it!

“ _Excuse_ me?!” she finally sputters.

“What, do girls not like that anymore?” He cocks his head, cupping his chin. “There were lots of women begging me to take them as my wife before…” His eyes widen and he plops a fist into his palm. “ _Right!_ They were probably just bargaining for their lives. Well, either way,” he shrugs, returning his attention to her, “Why not? I really mean it.”

“I-I’m engaged!”

“Damn. Such a shame.” He walks past her, plucking the knife from her hand. “Well, the name’s Bankotsu,” he tells her, settling it behind his ear. “Let me know if you change your mind!” He disappears at that, the fight forgotten, Ayame speechless.

**Author's Note:**

> tbh i have a second part written out but i feel like if i post it I'd need to make a third part to tie it all together (´∀｀；)
> 
> idk ill think abt it


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